Spotted A Ship

Seth laid down in his boat, watching the beautiful cumulus clouds slowly drifting away. And from afar, he could hear the sounds of gulls, probably fishing shoals of fish in the ocean.

It's been more than two days since he left the village for his grand journey. But surprisingly even after sailing all this time, he hasn't encountered anything; no land or island, no merchant or pirate. He hasn't even seen any Marine ship. That was shocking as from what he had heard, there was supposed to be a Marine base close to Foosha village.

The only thing he had met was a sea monster but that was just off the coast of the village, which he had dealt with a single attack, although it was only knocked out and not killed.

"Another sunny day" Seth sighed, looking at his lonely state.

(Maybe I got too used to the hustle-bustle of the village?)

If he only wanted to join a crew, that would have been easy. He could have joined any crew that came to Foosha village. He could have even defeated them and become their captain but Seth didn't like that idea. He wanted a crew like Straw Hats, ones who wouldn't betray him ever. But for that what was utmost required was patience, patience to look for such people in this vast world.

Seth took out two pieces of salted fish from the bag and started eating it for breakfast. This was something Makino had packed for his journey.

(I need to get a ship soon. Going like this is dangerous.)

He looked at the small boat which was now smoothly sailing on the calm waves. He was lucky that there were no storms. Otherwise, he would have simply died from drowning in the sea. Maybe it was the God's way of helping him but Seth kinda doubted that.

But ships aren't easy to obtain. Luffy and his group got Going Merry as a gift for saving Kaya and that allowed them a great start. But he surely wouldn't be so lucky. He will have to get one from somewhere, be it by earning or by stealing.

(Boy, life sure is not easy)

He tried searching one at Foosha village, talking with different people but he didn't get any positive response. He had a little less than 2 million beli from the bounty and though, it wouldn't bring him a ship, he thought he could at least purchase a bigger boat with proper provisions. And unlucky for him, he couldn't get that either. At last, he dropped the idea, and donated the money to the village for reconstruction. It was also his way of showing gratitude for taking care of him the last month.

Coo~ Coo~

(Oh the seagulls! Freely flying in the sky without any problem- Oh yeah!)

As he was in thoughts, an idea popped up in his mind.

Seth stood up and removed his shirt and with a Bong! two brown wings appeared on his back. He flapped the wings and flew into the sky. This was one of things he trained hard the last month. Flight. If he had known to fly in the previous fight against the Red Skull pirates, he could have directly flown to the captain and could have defeated him, or could have easily escaped with Luffy when the pirates chased after them. So, the last month, he first practised the basics of aerodynamics then gradually learning the aerial acrobatics. Now, he was proficient enough to fly without even concentrating as if it was secondary for him.

After reaching a considerable height, he stabilised himself in a position, hovering, and looking around for anything.

One of the perks of his Owl-Owl fruit is a great eyesight. He can easily spot things miles away and if Observation Haki is added, the image would become more clear and defined.

As he searched, his eyes caught sight of a ship somewhere around the horizon.

The distance was quite far, maybe tens of thousands of meters. But it didn't seem like the ship was moving, more like it was anchored to one place.

(Is it salvaging?)

That was the first thought that came to his mind. Salvaging was a profession at sea. Some modified ships are used to pick up debris from the sea floor. The debris are usually sunk ships or articles of human use. The salvagers sell these on market and gain a good profit.

They may even fell upon ships filled with treasures which had sunk due to bad weather or in a naval battle. But such cases seem to be rare and it is mostly just wood, clothing or some other items of utility that they procure. So, this profession was for the ones who dream big and has ample amount of time and fortune to back it up and not for the commonfolk who have to earn their daily living.

Seth flew in the direction of the ship in order to get a good picture of what was happening but as he got closer, his cheerful expression turned sour. What put him off was the flag of the ship which was coloured black with a white Jolly Roger.

(A pirate ship!? Just my luck. The first thing I spotted in my adventures is a pirate ship. But then again, this can be a blessing in disguise) Seth smirked by the end of his thoughts and instead of returning back, he charged towards the ship at full speed.

The pirates on the deck were startled, spotting an unknown bird-like being approaching them.

One of the pirates picked up his binoculars to check what it was but was more shocked by what he found "A Birdman!!!!?"

At his words, all other pirates gulped, looking in surprise at the figure. What kind of unnatural monster was flying towards them? They had heard stories of monsters with human like traits like the harpies who would feed on human flesh. Is this the same?

But they weren't amateurs. They had gone into fights mutliple times, sometimes against the marines while other times against other pirate crews and while sometimes against monsters that dwelled deep in the sea. They readied themselves picking up their weapons while a few others charged towards the cannons loading them with balls, awaiting the fight they were about to have.

-:- Scene Change -:-

The captain of the ship was silently studying a map he had obtained at the last town. He bought it from some shady looking person in the taverns who claimed it to be a treasure map and he had paid a good sum for it. But now that he had checked it, he felt as if he had been conned.

He had a great skills as a navigator and had a bit of knowledge of cartography. But no matter how he looked, the map didn't seem like it was from anywhere near.

"At least it is not from the East Blue" he told himself, regretting why he had not checked it before buying, "Or is it from the Grand Line?"

There was no way to know that. He had only been once to those chaotic seas, and hardly knew anything about it.

Just then he heard a gunfire, followed by a barrage of cannon fire.

(A sea monster!?)

It was something frequent in these seas. If there was something serious, the first or the second mate on the deck, would have atleast informed him.

And then there was a silence, followed by yelling and crying.

Now, he was sure that there was something happening.

(An enemy attack?)

He got up, opened the door and as he came out, the scene in front, was out of a nightmare.

The pirates were laying all around, some knocked out while others seriously injured. And at the front was a young boy, flying around, fighting all alone against his entire crew.

But what caught his eyes were the brown wings at the back of the boy.

"Devil Fruit" the captain silently muttered, "Another one?"